1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to the stacking and bundling of newspapers, and in particular to a rectangular form or matrix adapted to facilitate the stacking and bundling of newspapers which are to be recycled, the form dimensions being such as to accommodate both standard folded newspapers and unfolded tabloids.
2. Status of Prior Art
Environmental protection and the avoidance of waste are now matters of national concern. As a consequence, households in most communities throughout the United States are no longer permitted to treat discarded newspapers as trash to be commingled with garbage. It is now generally mandated that after daily newspapers have served their purpose, they must be stacked and bundled so that they can be picked up at the end of the week or at some other interval by a municipal recycling agency.
Newspapers are printed on long paper sheets which are folded in half to produce four pages. A standard newspaper has a page size of about 14 by 22 inches, whereas the page size of a tabloid is about 14 by 11 inches. However, while a tabloid is delivered to its readers in an unfolded state, the standard newspaper is composed of several sections, each being folded in half. Hence the rectangular dimensions of a standard folded newspaper are about the same as those of an unfolded tabloid. Because of this, tabloids and standard newspapers lend themselves to stacking in the same pile.
After a newspaper has been read by members of a household, it is often generally then in disarray. If, therefore, the newspapers are to be saved for recycling, they must be restored to a somewhat orderly state so that they can be handled in bulk. But if the newspapers to be recycled are stored, say, in a closet or in a basement, it becomes troublesome to produce an orderly pile. As one stacks the papers accumulated in a given day over those laid down from previous days, unless care is exercised, one does not usually succeed in avoiding disarray, for as the pile grows in height, the newspapers are then often askew. This makes it difficult when the time comes to bundle the stack to encircle the stack with a tying cord.
Moreover, a stack of loose newspapers may create a somewhat hazardous condition in the typical household, for loose papers may be blown off the stack by a draft. And if the papers are stacked in a kitchen having a gas-fueled stove, these papers may catch on fire. Quite apart from these considerations is the fact that an exposed pile of newspapers in a kitchen, basement or elsewhere in the household is untidy. Thus while it is the common practice to collect household garbage in plastic trash bags which are concealed in attractive containers having a pivoted lid, there is no equivalent device for newspapers.